The History of The Prentice School
PART ONE
It is hard to believe, but our 25th anniversary year is 2011! As we anticipate this monumental milestone, Diane Caplan, a 2000 Prentice graduate, officially kicked off our two-year celebration at Grandparents & Special Friends Day last Friday. Diane eloquently shared the difference Prentice has made in her life. A Cal State Fullerton graduate, she now words for CoxSports3 in graphic design.
During the next few months, I will share the history of Prentice in my monthly Reflections article.
The seed for Prentice was sown in 1985 at a Slingerland Teacher Education class sponsored by the Slingerland Institute, Orange County Branch of the Orton Dyslexia Society and the University of San Diego. Because of the interest generated at that class, Virginia Davies organized a meeting of individuals she knew were interested in developing a school for students struggling to learn how to read, write and spell in traditional classes. Dr. Nancy Royal, the developer and coordinator of the Slingerland Magnet Program in Chula Vista City Schools, a suburb of San Diego, as well as the executive director of the Armstrong School in Northern California were invited to the meeting. Former Armstrong parents, Sharon and Dick Ettinger, who would play a pivotal role in the development of the school, also were in attendance.
On August 9, 1985, a non-profit was formed to operate a school using an approach specifically designed for students with dyslexia. The Board of Directors included Sharon Ettinger, Robert Ragatz, M.D., Dr. Winston Addis and Virginia Davies with Dr. Nancy Royal elected President. It was expanded in 1986 to include Jill Hally, Richard Streza and Marc Lerner, M.D. The Board envisioned a school with small classes, staffed by teachers trained in the Slingerland Approach and with an understanding of language learning differences.
Richard and Sharon Ettinger purchased a vacant two-room facility in Costa Mesa. Two additional rooms were constructed shortly after the purchase. Equipment, materials, curriculum development, selection of teachers and recruitment of students was completed. In July, Dr. Royal relocated to Orange County from San Diego to help finalize the preparation for the first year.
Newport Community, the first name given the school, opened its doors in September 1986 in the small four-room building with two teachers and 25 students.
Next month, I will continue with the history of Prentice---its first year and subsequent move to its second site.
PART TWO
With our 25th anniversary next year, 2011, I began sharing the history of Prentice in my Reflections article last month. I will continue this month as our number of students increase.
I ended last month with the school opening in September 1986 as Newport Community with 25 students and 2 teachers. Its home was in Costa Mesa in a small 4-room building with Dr. Nancy Royal as the founding Executive Director.
By December, a third teacher joined the staff and a speech and language therapist was added. Marina Kleppinger, a parent, became the school’s secretary and Kathy Wilson, also a parent, worked as a part-time librarian. The program was enriched by volunteers, including Karen Lerner, who taught movement and dance, and Dr. Robert Phalen, who taught science. Sharon Ettinger worded in the office and Barbara Dove, a CPA, provided accounting services.
By June 1987, the enrollment had climbed to 35, necessitating a move to a larger facility. The Ettingers purchased a former private school site on the Back Bay of Costa Mesa and leased it to the school. The school opened in September 1987, with the name changed to Prentice Day School to honor the Ettingers. Richard Ettinger’s parents were co-founders of Prentice-Hall Publishing Company and his mother’s maiden name was “Prentice”.
Remarkably, the second site was also outgrown within the year and portable buildings were purchased in order to house the 7th and 8th grades. As the need for office space grew, the Ettingers purchased an old house adjacent to the campus that was used for the administration.
In those early years, community philanthropic support was invaluable. The Orton Dyslexia Society, now the International Dyslexia Association, donated $5000 for scholarships. The Educational Foundation of American paid the director’s salary and the Fieldstead Foundation provided a $5000 grant to cover start-up costs. In the spring of 1987, the Scholarship Endowment Fund was augmented by gifts from both by the Ettinger Foundation and the Palisades Educational Foundation.
In spring of the 1990 as enrollment grew to 120 with a waiting list, it became evident that a new site was needed. In 1991 the search began!!
Stay tuned, next month I will discuss the move to our current site in 1993 and the ensuing years up until today.
PART THREE
This is the third Reflections article on the history of Prentice. I began with the seed sown in 1985 at a Slingerland workshop and ended last month with the school housed in a private school site in the Back Bay in Costa Mesa. With enrollment having grown to 120, in 1991 the search began for a new site.
The current site, a former public school in the Tustin Unified School District, became available in 1992. It had been purchased from TUSD by the Church of Latter Day Saints. After lengthy negotiations, the school signed a one-year lease with the Church and opened its doors in August 1993. In 1994, Prentice purchased the school. O’Melveny & Myers provided important legal services throughout the negotiations at no charge to the school.
The Board, after carefully reviewing the budget necessary to purchase and improve the site, decided a Capital Campaign to provide additional financial support for the community at large was needed. A Fund-raising Planning and Feasibility Study to analyze and establish parameters for that campaign was commissioned, and in late 1992, Russell Leatherby, a Prentice parent and member of the Board of Directors, volunteered to the be the Campaign Chairman. It was determined that $4 million was necessary to complete the purchase of the school. Each of the Board members pledged major gifts over the next three-five year period. In addition, Richard and Sharon Ettinger generously donated the Costa Mesa school and its property to the school to allow the proceeds from its sale to be used in the purchase of the Lassen campus.
Other support was solicited from foundations, corporations and individuals. A partial list of donors include: The Burton G. Bettingen Corporation, Prudential Overall Supply, Weingart Foundation, MacDonald Family Foundation, The Ahmanson Foundation, the Eaton Family, The Fletcher Jones Foundation, First American Title Company and first American Trust Company, the George Hoag Family Foundation, The W.M. Keck Foundation, Taco Bell Corporation and philanthropists John and Donna Crean. The Capital Campaign raised approximately $2.8 million of it s $4 million goal. In February, 1997, the Capital Campaign was declared complete when Prentice secured loans from private individuals to retire the debt to the Mormon Church.
On October 20, 1997, Prentice Day School officially changed its name to The Prentice School.
Due to poor health concerns, Dr. Nancy Royal resigned as Executive Director on December 15, 1997. Assistant Director, Debra Jarvis was named Acting Executive Director through June 1998. She was then selected as the new Executive Director of the school.
Next month, my last Reflections article will complete the history of Prentice bringing us to May 2010.
PART FOUR
This is the final installment detailing the history of Prentice. Last month we ended in June of 1998 with Debra Jarvis accepting the position of Executive Director with the retirement of Dr. Nancy Royal.
In an effort to improve the caliber of its instructional program, the school launched the “2001 Capital Campaign---Enrichment of Academic Excellence” to add an Academic Support Center to the campus. It opened on August 16, 2001 and houses our Computer and Science Lab, an elementary science room and Art and Music Studios.
The administrative staff moved into the new Burton G. Bettingen Corporation Administration Building on April 23, 2001. On May 17, 2001, the area in front of the building---Founders Plaza---was officially dedicated in honor of our visionaries, founding board members and first year board members whose determination and commitment helped create our school for our students. The visionaries include Sharon W. Ettinger, the late Richard Prentice Ettinger, Virginia O. Davies and Dr. Nancy L. Royal. The founding and first year Board Members who played essential roles in the school’s eventual success were Winston C. Addison, Lucyann Carlton, Barbara J. Dove, Jill R. Hally, Harriet A. Harris, Dr. Marc Lerner, and Dr. Robert E. Ragatz.
In June 2004, the Board of Directors unanimously named Carol H. Clark as the school’s new Executive Director.
During the 2005 – school year, Prentice celebrated its 20th anniversary with a reunion picnic in October 2005 and an anniversary gala in 2006. The visionaries, founding and first year Board Members were honored. Dr. Bennett and Sally Shaywitz from Yale University received our “Lifetime Achievement Award” for their dedication and commitment to students with dyslexia.
In the fall of 2006, kindergarten was re-introduced because of the recent research validating the importance of early intervention and a positive foundation for young children. The following year prekindergarten was added and PEPP, Prentice Early Primary Program for prekindergarten, kindergarten and first grade, was formed.
In August 2008, the site plan was changed to permit the school to add four modulars by August 2012 in addition to the four installed in 2006.With the cost of building soaring, it was decided that modulars were more economically feasible rather than adding additional buildings.
Currently plans to add a high school for the 2010 – 2011 school year are in progress. A partnership with Allied National High, on online high has been forged. The modular added during the 2009 – 2010 school year will house the high school. With the growth of the prekindergarten and kindergarten, another modular will probably be needed for the 2011 – 2012 school year.
While Prentice’s phenomenal growth is in part the results of the critical need for a school for students with dyslexia, it is also due to the efforts, passion and commitment of the founders, the Board members, the staff , the generous donors, and most, importantly, the hundreds of parents and students. The success of the Slingerland Approach is proven by the academic success of Prentice’s students, whose language skills improve, often dramatically, while at the school.
It has been both a pleasure and “eye-opening” for me to travel this journey of researching Prentice’s history. I am privileged to have the opportunity to be here as our Prentice staff unlocks the potential of our bright, talented students.
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